This invention relates to putters that can be used for practice and play, with either a right or left-handed stroke. Specifically, this invention is a balanced putter that can be used for practice and play that conforms to the Rules of Golf.
Golf is governed by The Rules of Golf as approved by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, referred to herein as the USGA Rules. The most current rules are available from www.USGA.org. A typical game of golf is played on a course having 18 holes and a golfer may carry up to 14 clubs with him during play. An average golfer uses over 80 strokes to complete the game, and typically half of those stokes are putts. Therefore, the putter is by far the most important of the regulation 14 golf clubs in a golfer""s bag, and improved putting will improve a player""s score more than improvement in any other stroke.
Consequently, thousands of devices and methods have been devised to help a golfer improve his putting, ranging from the practical to the absurd. Most of these devices do not conform to the-design of clubs specified by the USGA Rules, however, and therefore are used during practice only. The golfer must switch putters to play a round of golf, thus changing the primary tool with which he perfected his stroke. As a result, the putt stokes during play are seldom as good as during practice. It would be advantageous, then, to provide a dual-purpose putter that conforms to the Rules of Golf so that the golfer can use the same putter in practice as in play.
Under the USGA Rules, the putter shall have a shaft and a head, fixed to form one unit. When the golf club is in its normal position to address the ball, the shaft shall be aligned so that the projection of the straight part of the shaft onto the vertical plane through the toe and heel shall diverge from the vertical by at least 10 degrees. Further, the projection of the straight part of the shaft onto the vertical plane along the intended line of play shall not diverge from the vertical by more than 20 degrees. The USGA Rules further require that the clubhead meet specific criteria. For example, the distance from the heel to the toe of a putter shall be greater than the distance from the play face to the back. These rules limit the orientation of the shaft to the clubhead, and therefore the balance of the putter, a major factor in aligning the ball and in putting consistently.
The penalty for playing a game of golf with a putter that does not conform to the USGA Rules is disqualification from the game. However, with the many rules pertaining to the design of putters, it is difficult to design a club that provides quality training features for practicing and yet can be used for play. It is desirable to provide a putter that can be used for practice and play that conforms to USGA Rules.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a putter that enables the golfer to determine which strokes are the best during practice so that he may practice those strokes repeatedly and learn to stroke the ball consistently in play. It is another object of this invention to provide a putter that can be used for both practice and play, and that conforms to the USGA Rules. It is another object of this invention to provide a putter that is substantially balanced around the shaft of the club. It is an object of this invention to provide a putter in which the shaft always diverges at least 10 degrees from the sole of the clubhead, regardless which orientation the golfer holds the putter when addressing the ball. It is another object to provide a putter in which the center of gravity of the club is located along the centerline of the shaft. It is a further object to provide a putter in which the center of gravity of the clubhead strikes along the plane of the center of gravity of the ball.
The present invention is an improved putter that combines several features to provide a balanced putter, which assists a player in perfecting a putt stroke during practice and repeating it with the same club during play. The clubhead is substantially symmetric around the shaft and has tapered top and bottom surfaces such that the angle of the shaft relative to the sole of the putter is no more than 80 degrees. The shaft is attached at the center of the clubhead, and the clubhead and shaft are arranged so that the center of gravity of the clubhead strikes the center of the golf ball. The clubhead has a playing surface on one face that is parabolic and can be flat in the extreme. The clubhead has a practice surface on the other face that is curved, preferably elliptical, to assist the golfer in learning the proper stroke. The putter conforms to the Rules of Golf so that the player does not have to change clubs between practice and play. The club may be used for either a right- or left-handed stroke.